This news is probably all over the net now so I am just repeating the obvious. It is interesting to do a search and read the negative comment on China’s humanitarian action though.
The title shows how China’s view of the evacuation: China’s speedy evacuation from Yemen demonstrates responsibility, humanism
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-03/30/c_134110719.htm
And Washington Post’s view: What Yemen’s crisis reveals about China’s growing global power
Canada’s CBC News: China-led evacuation from war-torn Yemen said to include Canadians
SinoXin says
It is kind of funny that western news sites claim this is the first time China has evacuated foreign nationals. I remember reading China did evacuate ~2000 foreign citizens during the Libya crisis, sent assets to rescue ethnic Chinese in Indonesia and Tonga when ethnic rioting was going on, and other examples I can’t remember off the top of my head. I know from a family member’s experience, that China will evacuate Chinese with foreign citizenship.
When the Arab spring was in full swing, a family member of mine working in one of the Arab gulf states wanted to explore any evacuation plans if shit hit the fan. The passport he holds was from a western country that is woefully inadequate at arranging any evacuation in times of crisis, so he went to both the US embassy and Chinese embassy to talk to them. The US obviously has the means to evacuate out of a crisis zone, but their number 1 priority was obviously for American citizens and there was no guarantee for evacuation for other nationals. The Chinese embassy, however, said they would assist him in evacuation even though he was not a PRC citizen and had renounced his Chinese citizenship years ago. They said they would assist any Chinese national, Hong Kong/Macau residents, Taiwanese, or overseas/emigrated Chinese people needing to evacuate.
He told me the ambassador said something roughly along the lines of: “所有的华人我们会帮助撤离”
It’s good to see China evacuating not only Chinese (PRC Nationals, Taiwanese Compatriots, and Chinese with foreign citizenship), but foreigners who aren’t ethnically Chinese too. I hope this becomes a common and permanent policy as I believe saving people is something that shouldn’t be bound by nationalities if the capabilities are there (ideally of course). As long as stories like this comes out, the western viewed negative stigma against China can (I hope) be eventually peeled away. This is one of those things that genuinely makes me proud to be Chinese, regardless of being raised in a western country.